American Science & Surplus — Attraction in Milwaukee

If you value your privacy, go elsewhere. AS&S policy for credit card purchases is that you must ALWAYS provide picture ID. This is in direct violation of both VISA and Mastercard merchant policies - just call VISA International or Mastercard and ask. Furthermore, they SCAN your driver's license (or other ID) and keep your personal details. This is entirely unacceptable at a "surplus" store.

As to pricing for new products, you will find much better pricing online (eg: Amazon) for most (ALL?) of the new retail-packaged products they offer. No advantage whatsoever in buying currently-produced goods here. Because they are not an authorized reseller for these products, you will likely find the manufacturer will not honor any warranty (even though you paid nearly full price).

As to pricing for obsolete/surplus stuff, it's still a ridiculous mark-up. Many used/surplus items are priced near or at original full retail value. Of course, there is no warranty on the surplus/used stuff - even though you are paying nearly full price.

That being said, it is an interesting place to visit ONCE. But I recommend you do your purchasing someplace else. You are unlikely to see anything here that is truly unique and not readily available at the same or lower pricing through many local brick-and-mortar stores as well as online.

This place violates credit card merchant agreements, collects personal ID data on credit card sales, and offers little in the way of actual value.

Come and look. But spend your money...

Science & Surplus has so many other odds and ends and the inventory changes frequently. It is a great place to find miscellaneous "stuff". I found 4" diameter 3/8" square aluminum rings with 6 equal distance #8 holes drilled in the sides. They just happened to be the perfect for for mounting fog lamps in my truck. It is the best place to find inexpensive gifts, (Science Project or kit for desk top catapult or Trebuchet) electronics, (capacitors, rechargeable batteries, inverters, converters, squirrel fans, duct fans, pumps) tools, (wrenches, saws, watch repair kits including a clam vice,) lab equipment, (borosilicate test tubes, porcelain crucibles, assorted beakers and tubes) polished stones, (lots, including sets of sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous) magnifying glasses, (all sizes including jewelers loupe, fresnel lens and cheater sunglasses) telescopes, (and glass to build your own), military helmets and other items. I think they had a scope from a B-25 WWII era bomber for sale and a big cargo net....the list goes on and on and on. If you want to build a Tesla Coil or Van Graph generator, start here. If you need odd bits for a steam punk costumer - start here. If you are looking for a lab coat - sometimes they have them too. This is my favorite store to find what I need, pick up what I might need later, find things for...

A store with an indescribably diverse array of scientific instruments, toys and mechanical devices.

My first words walking into American Science & Surplus were, "Holy sh**".

The store is laid out pretty logically - science and discovery based toys in the front, scientific instruments and materials in the middle, and mechanical doodads in the back. The selection is vast for each area, and if it does not elicit even a little sense of wonder as you browse, you are dead inside. This place is your imagination unleashed.

Because the toys are the most mainstream market, they're the easiest to price match. On a regular day, their prices are about the same as what you'd find on Amazon (sorry, had to check!). If there's a sale of any kind, you're doing much better than online. It's worth the drive if you want a great selection but also great pricing.

If you're a maker, the back end of the store is definitely worth a look. Motors, switches, wiring, lights, pumps, counters, solar panels, wind turbines, gears and... everything else are there. The selection is random, but huge.

Visit at least once, regardless of what you think you need. It's worth a look, and hopefully you'll leave with not just something in your bag, but your mind fired with...